


The Commander Scott McCall Effect

by shiny_glor_chan



Category: Mass Effect, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Canonical Character Death, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Mass Effect 1, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-11
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2018-01-11 21:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1178049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiny_glor_chan/pseuds/shiny_glor_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Already a war hero in his own right, Commander Scott McCall gets thrust into a mission that leads to gathering a crew he'd never thought would work so well together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eden Prime

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Enigmatic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enigmatic/gifts).



> Here's the character list, for those who know Mass Effect: Shepard=Scott, Liara=Lydia, Ash=Allison, Kaidan=Isaac, Joker=Stiles, Garrus=Derek, Saren=Peter, Chakwas=Mama McCall, Anderson=Papa Stilinski, Tali=Erica, Wrex=Boyd, Nihilus=Laura, Jenkins=Greenberg, Citadel Council=Alpha Pack (Ennis=turian, Deucalion=salarian, Kali=asari), Reapers=The Void, Udina=Harris, Dr. Michel=Paige, Conduit=Nemeton, Shiala=Braeden
> 
> For those who don't, [this wiki article](http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Races) has all the Mass Effect alien races. The important races to know would be humans, asari, turians, krogan, quarian, geth, and salarian.
> 
> I follow the course of the game, more or less, but with tweaks for the backgrounds and personality quirks of the Teen Wolf characters (i.e. Lydia was never as timid as Liara, ect.). There's some dialogue taken from the game, but not too much. Just some important scenes.
> 
> ...also, the title sucks. Sorry about that. I swear there was gonna be romance, but it's all just flirting. I'm sorry.

“What did you do to piss off Captain Stilinski this time?” the Commander asks as he enters the cockpit, frowning at the pilot.

“He mouthed off, again,” Lieutenant Lahey offers from his seat on the right side of the pilot.

The pilot scowls. “I so did not. It's not my fault the Captain doesn't appreciate my mad docking skills.”

“Stiles, just because the Captain's your da-”

“Scott! Shh shh shh shh, no. We're ignoring that little fact,” Stiles interrupts with a flail. “It's bad enough the Alliance made me pilot a frigate my _dad_ captains. No need to spread that around.”

“I already knew,” Isaac states with a little smirk. “I mean, Stilinski isn't a common name.”

“He's right,” Scott adds as he fails to hide his smile at Stiles' dismay. “Don't worry, though. You're so much of a smartass that people don't think you and the Captain could possibly be related.”

Stiles rolls his eyes as he kept his eyes on piloting the Normandy. “Worst best friend ever, man,” he mutters.

Scott laughs. “How close are we to our destination? Spectre Hale is getting restless,” he explains.

“ETA five minutes, Commander,” Isaac replies.

“I don't like having a Spectre on my ship,” Stiles gripes, sinking into his pilot's chair. 

“It's your dad's ship,” the lieutenant reminds, not so gently. “Anyway, she has a reason to be here. The Council's involved, you know.”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “That's the official story, but only an idiot believes the official story.”

Scott sighs. “Cut it out you two,” he warns, attempting to be stern but falling a little short.

Stiles waves Scott off. “Go make the Spectre feel better,” he told him. “Aren't you up for Spectre status or something?”

Scott shakes his head, “That's gotta be a rumor. I'm nothing special, Stiles.”

Isaac and Stiles share a look of disbelief. “Dude, everyone knows how you saved your whole squad at the Battle of Beacon Hills. Elysium would've fallen without you, man,” Stiles says, like it's the most obvious fact in the universe.

“I'm not a one man army,” Scott protests then shakes his head. “Don't you have a ship to pilot?”

Stiles scoffs. “You're insulting my piloting skills, but I know a brush off when I hear it. See you, Commander,” he says before turning back around in his chair.

Isaac gives Scott a small salute, and Scott smiles back before heading to the back of the ship to be briefed on their mission.

* * *

“This place definitely used to be beautiful,” Scott says as he, Isaac, and Greenberg start looking around.

“Now it just smells like smoke and death,” Isaac replies, keeping his eyes open for any geth.

“It's so weird that there'd be something important buried on my home colony,” Greenberg says nervously. “It's always been a pretty boring place.”

Scott motions for Isaac and Greenberg to quiet down and get into cover when they a group of geth recon drones, and when he orders an attack, Greenberg gets taken down by a drone, ripping through his shields. Scott locks eyes with Isaac for a moment, and they both take cover, shooting the drones with with their pistols when they can and using their biotics from behind cover when they can't.

Once all the drones are taken out, Scott approaches Greenberg's body to close his lifeless eyes. “We'll make sure he gets a proper burial when the mission is complete. Until then, I need you to keep it together, Lahey.”

Isaac nods, pulling his eyes away from his teammate's corpse. “Aye, aye, sir.”

Soon, they encounter more drones, and after they're taken care of, Spectre Laura Hale comes over the comm. “Found some burnt out building and a lot of dead bodies. I'm going to go on ahead. I'll meet you at the dig site, Commander.”

Scott has a bad feeling in his gut from what Laura said, and he cautions Isaac to keep an eye out. When they get around a turn down the path they're taking to get to the excavation site, Scott soon spots geth soldiers impaling humans on spikes. The squad looks thoroughly, all but one soldier, and with a nod to Isaac, Scott runs forward to back her up.

Together, they get through the geth relatively quickly, since stationed squad wore them down. “I didn't think I was going to make it,” the soldier says, in lieu of a greeting as Scott and Isaac approach her. “Gunnery Chief Allison Argent of the 212. You in charge here, sir?”

“Are you wounded, Argent?” Scott asks, looking over without invading her personal space.

Allison shakes her head. “Nothing major, but the rest of my squad wasn't so lucky,” she replies, looking over to the impaled corpses of her late, fellow squadmates. “They came out of nowhere, and we had been out a normal perimeter patrol. We couldn't get out a distress call with them blocking communication. I've been fighting for my life ever since.”

Scott watches her carefully, trying not frown. “The rest of your squad?”

“On our way back to the dig site, we walked into an ambush. I-I think I'm the only one left.”

“It's not your fault. There was nothing you could do,” Scott assures her.

“Yes, sir,” she murmurs as Isaac frowns.

“Why are the geth attacking now? They haven't been seen for over two centuries,” he states plainly.

“They came for the beacon they dug up here,” Scott figures, looking at Allison. “Is it nearby?”

She nods. “Right over that ridge. I can lead you there.”

“Agreed. Move out.”

The beacon's gone when they reach the site, and Spectre Hale contacts them about meeting them at them space port just ahead. Heading through the decimated excavators' camp, they find some survivors hiding away. The doctor among them mentions the team moved the beacon to the space port this morning, so they head that way.

* * *

_Laura ducks behind a stack of crate readying her rifle, but when she moves out of cover to strike, she finds a fellow Spectre instead of a geth soldier. “Peter?” she questions as she lowers her gun. “What are you doing here? This isn't your mission.”_

_Peter smiles at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “The Council thought you might need some help,” he tells her smoothly._

_With a sigh, Laura turns away from him for a moment. “Peter, it's really bad. This mission is more complicated than we thought.”_

_“Don't worry,” he replies, raising his gun to her turned back. “Everything's going to be just fine, Laura.”_

* * *

When Scott and his team reach the spaceport, they find a few more survivors, a geth ambush along with creatures, husks, created from the dead, impaled humans. Allison snipes the husks before they can get too close while Isaac works his biotics in tandem with Scott to take out the geth. Once the ambush is taken care of, they approach the docking area to find Laura's dead body.

A noise behind the crates tips them off to a smuggler from the camp that had been lucky enough to be hiding before the attack began, and Scott firmly tells him to explain what happened here. “Peter,” Scott repeats after the smuggler tells the story of a second Spectre killing Laura.

Isaac frowns. “Spectre Peter Hale,” he states with wide eyes. “He's Spectre Laura Hale's uncle, isn't he? Why would he shoot his own niece in the back?”

“I don't know, but if they're family, it explains why she was so quick to turn her back to that crazy ass turian,” the smuggler adds then shifts awkwardly. “Am I free to go?”

“You've been smuggling. Your contact told us,” Scott tells him, and the smuggler blanches as Allison glares at him.

“Just a few grenades here and there, I swear! I never thought you guys would need them. This colony's always been so peaceful!”

Allison's eyes narrow. “You were stealing from us, when we were protecting you?” she asks angrily, and Scott puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her from grabbing the man. “You're lucky the Commander's here.”

“She's right,” Scott agrees, crossing his arms. “Now, give us everything you stole, and we'll be on our way.”

The smuggler nods vigorously, handing over the grenades and other small pieces he may have taken from the soldier's inventory. Scott and his squadmates head out to find the beacon, battling more geth and husks along the way. The geth set up charges, but with Isaac and Allison's watching his back, Scott disarms them quickly. They find the beacon nearby, take out the geth guarding it, and approach it.

“Why is it glowing?” Allison questions. “It never did that before...”

Curiously, she approaches the beacon, and its force field starts to pull her in. “Allison!” Scott shouts and acts quickly, knocking her out of the way only to be caught up in the beacon's field himself.

“Commander!” Isaac and Allison shout before Scott's world flashes with strange visions then slips into darkness.


	2. The Citadel Council

His mother's face is the first face Scott sees when he wakes up, and he smiles up at the Normandy crew's doctor. “Hey, mom,” he says as he sits up.

“Don't you 'hey, mom' me,” Melissa says with a tight smile. “You're lucky Chief Argent and Lieutenant Lahey could carry yourself back to the Normandy.”

Scott chuckles, looking over to where both Allison and Isaac are standing. “I'm fine. Just a little...headachey,” he promises, and Isaac rolls his eyes.

“That beacon got you pretty hard,” Isaac states, then adds as an afterthought, “sir.”

“I must have activated some kind of security mechanism when I approached it,” Allison says regretfully.

“Not your fault, Argent,” Scott tells her honestly, rubbing his head. “I'm just glad no one was seriously injured.”

Before either of his teammates could another word, Captain Stilinski enters the med bay with an unreadable look on his face. “Chief Argent, Lieutenant Lahey, Doctor McCall, I need a moment alone with the Commander.”

“Yessir,” Allison and Isaac say in unison before leaving the room.

Melissa looks at the Captain for a moment, getting a nod for her efforts, so she leaves without another word. “What do you need, Captain?”

“Checking in to see if you're all right. You were out cold for fifteen hours, Commander,” the Captain tells him.

“I'm fine... Don't like losing soldiers on my watch,” Scott replies.

“Greenberg wasn't your fault. There was no way to know what you and your team were heading into. You did a good job.”

Scott nods, even though he's not sure he agrees. “What about Gunnery Chief Argent?”

“She's been reassigned to the Normandy. Argent has a good head on her shoulders, and we could use a soldier like her,” Captain Stilinski explains.

“I agree,” Scott answers with another nod. “But I don't think that's why you wanted to talk to me in private, sir.”

“I'm not going to lie, Scott; things look bad. Laura Hale is dead, we don't have the beacon, and the geth are invading. The Council will want answers.”

Scott makes a face. “I've got nothing to hide. If I hadn't been there, the whole colony would have been wiped out.”

“I stand behind you, Scott. I've known you since you were knee high, and I know you. On top of that, you're a hero in your own right. Unfortunately, that's not why I'm here. That other Spectre, Peter Hale? He's a legend himself, the Council's top operative. If he's working with the geth, we have a lot of work ahead of us. A rogue Spectre is enough trouble, but he hates humans.”

“That's not why he attacked Eden Prime,” Scott states.

“No, he was after that beacon. But why? You were in contact with the beacon before it self-destructed. Did you see anything?” the Captain asks.

Scott furrows his brows. “It felt like a dream...more like a nightmare. Synthetics, maybe the geth, slaughtering people...”

The Captain frowns. “We'll need to tell the Council what you saw.”

“And tell them I had a bad dream?” Scott asks a little incredulously. “I'm not sure that's gonna fly, sir.”

“I know Peter Hale. We need to prove he's gone rogue, to stop him from taking out humanity with his army of geth. His Spectre status gives him too much power otherwise, and he must know what was stored on that beacon.”

“I'll do anything to take him down, Captain,” Scott swears.

“Good to hear, but we'll have to prove it to the Council first. We should be docking at the Citadel in a few minutes, according to my son's last report. Go up and tell Stiles to bring us into dock. I'll be contacting our ambassador.”

* * *

Once the Normandy docks in the Citadel, Scott and his team head for the human embassy. Captain Stilinski is there with Ambassador Harris, who is furious that the mission went awry, but after getting chewed out, Scott takes his team to head to the Council's chambers to have a meeting with them. When they walk inside, two turians are arguing, blocking the way.

“I've almost got Peter. Stall the council,” the younger one asks insistently.

The older turian snorts. “Stall the council? Don't be ridiculous! It's over, Derek.”

When the older turian leaves, Derek turns to Scott. “Commander McCall? Derek Hale. I was the C-Sec officer investigating Peter.”

Scott frowns when he hears Derek's last name. “Hale?”

Derek makes the turian equivalent of a scowl. “Peter's my uncle, but Laura was my _sister_.”

“Sounds like you want to take him down.”

“More than anything,” Derek swears. “But he's a Spectre, and I can't touch him. Maybe the Council will listen to you. Don't hold your breath.”

Scott winces. “Uh, thanks,” he replies before walking past Derek, heading up to see the Council.

When Scott reaches them, the hearing is already in full swing. “The geth sighting is troubling,” Deucalion says, “but there's no proof Peter was involved in this attack.”

Captain Stilinski scowls. “There was an eye witness!” Harris shouts.

“A traumatized dock worker is hardly compelling evidence,” Ennis replies with a mean grin.

On holo-vid, Peter crosses his arms, smirking. “I resent these accusations. Laura was a fellow Spectre and my niece.”

“That just gave you the chance to shoot her down when her guard was down,” Captain Stilinski replies tersely.

Peter rolls his eyes. “You like your accusations, Stilinski,” he says in a bored tone before honing in on Scott. “And you, you must be the Commander that let the beacon get destroyed.”

Scott bites his tongue, to keep himself from accusing Peter right out. “The mission was top secret. You'd only know about the beacon if you were there!”

“I read the reports before the hearing,” Peter replies dismissively. “Messy business, but what can you expect from a human?”

“You despise humanity, so you attacked Eden Prime,” Scott accuses, having had enough with Peter's blasé attitude.

“Learn your place, McCall,” Peter answers with a growl. “Your species doesn't belong in Council, let alone join the ranks of the Spectres, such as myself.”

Harris fumes. “He has no right to say this. It's not his decision!”

Kali barely keeps from rolling her eyes. “The ambassador is correct. McCall's status as to whether he will become a Spectre or not is not the purpose of this meeting.

Peter scoff. “This meeting has no purpose. Our time is being wasted, Kali.”

“Peter's using his Spectre status to hide. You need to open your eyes,” Scott tells them, keeping his anger at Peter in check.

“We need evidence, and there hasn't been any,” Deucalion states, looking down at Scott.

“We still have to talk about the Commander's vision,” Stilinski begins.

“Really? We're allowing dreams into evidence now? How quaint,” Peter mocks.

“Agreed,” Ennis speaks up. “Visions are not evidence, Captain Stilinski.”

“Anything else to add, Commander?” Deucalion asks, and Scott shakes his head.

“You're decision is made; I won't waste my breath,” he replies, a bit bitterly.


	3. Evidence

After the meeting, Harris tears them all a new one. “Stilinski, leave this to McCall. You're too involved with Peter. I don't need the Council questioning any new evidence we find because of you,” he says angrily.

Scott steps up. “The Captain deserves better than-”

Stilinski holds a hand up, silencing Scott. “It's alright. He's right. I'm too close to this.”

Harris smiles smugly. “Now, McCall, you should look up that C-Sec investigator. Maybe he found something on Peter. I, on the other hand, still have paperwork from this whole Eden Prime disaster.”

With that, Harris walks away. “How do you know Peter, Captain?” Scott asks once Harris is gone.

“We served together, and he's always been ruthless. No one's ever believed me when I've reported him, since he always gets the job done, but at the expense of innocent civilians,” the Captain explains then sighs. “Go and investigate. Good luck.”

Once the Captain is gone, Scott turns to Isaac and Allison. “Time to start finding some evidence,” he announces.

“Bet we'll find some leads at Chora's Den,” Isaac pipes up.

Allison frowns. “Isn't that a strip club?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at Isaac.

His cheeks flush. “Well, those kind of places are good sources of information,” he says, defending himself.

* * *

“I see why this place is so popular. It's got quite the...view,” Isaac tell his teammates as they enter Chora's Den.

“Hey, Lieutenant, put your tongue back in your mouth before you trip on it,” Allison states, and Scott hides a grin as Isaac clears his throat an looks away.

“It's just an observation,” he mutters, blatantly looking away from the asari strippers

When they walk further into the club, two krogan look like they're about to butt heads. “Boyd, get out of here. Aiden's not going to see you,” the krogan security guard says.

Boyd just gives the other krogan a flat stare. “It's Aiden's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it,” he states evenly.

“He's not coming out. End of story.”

“This story's just beginning,” Boyd replies as he moves by Scott and his crew. “Out of my way. I have no problems with you.”

Allison watches Boyd leave, warily. “What was that about?” Isaac asks as she shakes her head.

“Ignore it. We don't want to get caught in the middle of a krogan fight,” Allison tells him as they begin their search anew for their contact that should lead them to Derek.

* * *

The lead told them to head Doctor Paige's clinic down in the Wards, and Scott leads his crew that way. Once the door slides open, a gunfight breaks out with Paige as a hostage. They win with Derek's help, and Paige gets out unscathed, if a bit shaken.

“Good timing, McCall. You gave me a clear shot,” Derek says when Scott approaches after the gunfight.

“You could have shot the hostage! What were you thinking?” Scott asks, a little upset with Derek's attitude.

“There wasn't time! I just reacted. I didn't-” Derek cuts himself off and looks at Paige. “Doctor Paige, are you hurt?”

Paige shakes her head. “No, Derek, I'm fine. Thanks to all of you.”

“We can protect you. Those men were threatening you. Do you know who they work for?” Scott asks in concern.

“They work for Aiden. I have information about a quarian they didn't want me telling Derek,” she replies, glancing to the turian.

“Who?” Scott questions in confusion.

“A quarian came to my office a few days ago. She'd been shot and wouldn't tell me who did it,” Paige explains. “I think she was scared, on the run from someone. She asked me about the Shadow Broker because she had information to trade, for a safe a place to hide.”

“Where is she now?”

“I put her contact with Aiden, since he works for the Shadow Broker.”

Derek shakes his head. “Not anymore. He works for Peter, and the Shadow Broker isn't too pleased about it.”

Paige frowns. “That's stupid, even for Aiden. Peter must have made quite an offer.”

“She must have something Peter wants,” Allison speaks up.

“She must have intel that proves Peter's a traitor,” Scott surmises. “Paige, did she mention anything about Peter or the geth?”

“She did! It was the information she was going to trade, and she mentioned the geth,” Paige informs them.

“If she can connect Peter to the geth, then the Council can't ignore this,” Derek states firmly.

“Time to pay Aiden a visit then,” Scott says as he gestures for Isaac and Allison to head out.

“This is my uncle, and I'm coming with you to take him down,” Derek tells Scott before he can leave with his crew.

Scott grins. “Welcome aboard, Derek.”

“We're not the only ones after Aiden,” Derek warns. “The Shadow Broker hired a bounty hunter named Boyd.”

“We could use all the help we can get.”

“Then we'll be heading to the C-Sec academy. They took him since Aiden said he was making threats.”

Scott nods. “Head out, team.”

* * *

Boyd's done with the C-Sec officers when they approach him. “Do I know you?” he questions bluntly.

“The name's McCall. I'm going after Aiden, and I thought you might be interested in coming along,” Scott tells him.

Boyd scrutinizes Scott then sighs. “McCall? Commander McCall? I've heard a lot about you,” he says. “Out of respect, I'll give you fair warning. I'm going to kill Aiden.”

“You'll have a better chance with us,” Scott says, deciding it not in his best interests to get into it with the krogan about not killing anyone unless absolutely necessary. 

“Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend,” Boyd quotes then grins with all his teeth. “That's something my people got right.”

Scott puts his hand forward for a handshake. “Welcome to the team, Boyd,” he says warmly.

“Let's go. I'd hate to keep Aiden waiting.”

* * *

Deciding a smaller strike team would be best, Scott chooses Derek and Boyd to watch his back he leads them back to Chora's Den. There's an ambush, but with powerhouses like Derek and Boyd at his back, they get through them easily enough. When they reach Aiden's office, Scott orders everyone into cover as they chip away at the turrets then go after Aiden.

“You want to kill me, don't you? Go ahead,” Aiden baits Scott tauntingly.

“Where's the quarian?” Scott asks, gun trained on Aiden.

“No idea,” Aiden replies honestly.

Boyd takes a step forward. “He's no use to you now,” he says, aiming his own gun at Aiden's head.

“Wait,” Aiden interrupts hastily. “I don't know where she is, but I know where you can find her. She said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker herself.”

“Really? Even I was hired through an agent. No one knows who the Shadow Broker really is.”

Aiden nods. “Exactly, but she didn't know that. I told her I'd set up a meeting. When she shows up, Peter's men will be there instead.”

Scott's eyes narrow as he grabs Aiden by the collar of his shirt. “Give me the location. Now.”

Once Aiden tells them location, Boyd shoots him dead. “We don't shoot unarmed prisoners!” Scott shouts, and Derek scowls behind him.

“I was paid to kill him, and I don't leave jobs half done. How many people has he killed? He brought this on himself. Now, we have more pressing matters,” Boyd said smoothly, putting away his shotgun.

Scott makes quick work of Aiden's belongings, taking any information he may need later before the book it to the nearby alley. Once there, they spot the quarian talking to Peter's men. Scott gestures for Derek and Boyd to follow him in, nice and slow.

“Where's the Shadow Broker? And Aiden?” the quarian asks Peter's men suspiciously.

The turian runs a hand over her helmeted face. “They'll be here. Where's the evidence?” he asks, but she smacks his hand away.

“No way. Deal's off,” she says with conviction, and Peter's other men pull out her guns.

The quarian backs away, catching some of them by surprise by tossing a bomb their way, and Scott heads in, tossing one of the men aside with his biotics. Boyd charges in and easily body checks the other while Derek takes out the turian with his sniper rifle.

“Aiden set me up!” the quarian shouts angrily. “I knew I couldn't trust him!”

“Were you hurt?” Scott questions as he and his team approach her slowly.

“I can take care of myself. Though, I do appreciate the help. Who are you?”

“I'm Commander McCall, Alliance Navy. I'm looking for evidence to prove Peter's gone rogue.”

The quarian tilts her head and smiles behind her mask. “Then I can repay you for saving me. But let's go somewhere safe first,” she says. “My name Erica nar Reyes.”

“Nice to meet you,” Scott replies, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Come on. It'll be safe to talk at the human embassy.”


	4. Therum

Harris doesn't seem to like having a quarian in his office, but Scott makes if very clear he doesn't have a choice in the matter. Erica explains what she found: a voice clip from a geth's memory banks. It's indisputably Peter's voice, talking about the Eden Prime attack. Peter and his compatriot mention the Void, something the geth believe to be the pinnacle of non-organic life, as well as something called the Nemeton that can bring them back.

All stories about the Void trace back over fifty thousand years, when they wiped out a whole race of aliens. Scott finds it worrying, especially since they must have been in his visions, wiping out the Protheans. If it happens again, the whole universe is at stake.

Scott's determined to stop the visions from becoming a reality, and that means Peter needs to be stopped. The Council strips Peter of his Spectre status, and by the end of the meeting, the Council grants Scott Spectre status and everything that comes with it. Now, he has the resources to go after Peter with his crew himself.

He tells his teammates to meet him back at the Normandy while he heads to get his Spectre gear from the requisitions office. Scott finishes a few more menial tasks before heading back to the ship himself. Harris and Stilinski are waiting for him, and Scott keeps himself reigned in when Harris tells him the Normandy his.

“You're giving me Captain Stilinski's ship?” Scott asks, a bit incredulously.

“It's a ship fit for a Spectre,” Harris replies, side eying the Captain. “Captain Stilinski is too invested in this mission, and his son is the ship's pilot. We can't have any screw ups.”

Scott scowls, about to give Harris a piece of his mind, but he catches the Captain's eye before he does and decides against it. “I'm stepping down, so you can have Normandy at your full disposal,” he explains. “The Normandy is yours, Scott.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Scott replies, saluting him. “I'll take good care of her, her pilot, and her crew.”

The Captain nods. “Good, Commander. Now, the ambassador and I have some paperwork to do to make sure everything goes smoothly. I left the coordinates of possible Peter locations with Stiles.”

Harris nods in agreement, making a face when Stiles is mentioned then tossing Scott a 'don't fuck this up' look before he and Captain Stilinski head for the elevator to leave the docking area. Scott takes a deep breath and heads for the ship to tell the crew the news about their new ship Captain.

* * *

After Scott gives his crew a rousing speech, he turns off the intercom and flops in a chair next to his pilot. “Stiles, where are we going?”

Stiles snorts. “Pretty sure that's your decision now, Commander,” he teases then clears his throat. “Dad did give us some suggestions. Three, actually. Matriarch Martin has been spotted on Noveria. She seems to be working with Peter, according the Erica's intel, right? Then there's rumor there're geth on Feros. Last but not least, Matriarch Martin has a daughter who is in the Artemis Tau star cluster.”

Scott goes over the list of destinations then nods. “Artemis Tau cluster. I want to know what I'm getting into with an asari matriarch, and her daughter should be able to help us.”

“If she decides to help us,” Stiles adds, unhelpfully. “I mean, who's to say she's not working with her mother?”

“It's worth a shot,” Scott replies, giving Stiles a playful shove. “I'll tell the others where we're going, and we'll start searching this star cluster.”

“Aye, aye, Commander,” Stiles answers as he turns his attention back to piloting to their ship towards their destination.

* * *

After searching a few planets, getting ambushed by a fake distress signal on one, and finding some useful raw materials, they finally find a volcanic planet called Therum. Once Stiles drops them off, Scott drives the Mako towards the Prothean ruins with Allison manning the canon and Erica navigating. It doesn't take long to find out Therum's the most likely place for them to find the matriarch's daughter when a geth drop ship sends out troops to attack them.

Allison skillful takes out the main troops while Erica tells Scott which way to turn to run over the maximum amount of foot soldiers. The ride's a bit shaky from there on, with taking out geth and avoiding cruising right into the nearby lava flow.

“Are you sure you're licensed to drive this thing, Commander?” Erica questions when they finally reach a point where they need to continue on foot.

Scott flushes. “It's not my fault the steering on this metal deathtrap was installed by a drunken volus,” he mutters as Allison bites back a smile as she takes point.

“I don't even have a license, and I'd drive it better,” Erica states then bumps shoulders with Scott. “Though, not by much. The Mako was definitely designed by a drunken volus.”

“Don't let Derek hear you said that,” Allison warns with a snort. “He's been calibrating this thing since he got on board.”

Erica nods, smiling behind her helmet. “It's like he's allergic to interacting with people,” she agrees before drawing her gun when Allison shouts, “Geth ahead!”

Scott draws his gun, and he and his team prepare for a fight. They take out the foot soldiers easily enough with some well placed shooting. Allison tries to snipe the geth hopping all over the place, but to no avail until Erica fries one with an overload, giving her long enough to make the kill shot. Scott concentrates on keeping the bigger geth busy with his biotics, and soon, they've taken them all out.

“This has to be it,” Erica says as they enter the ruin. “There wouldn't have been so many different geth guarding it if this Lydia Martin isn't in there.”

Scott nods. “Agreed. Everyone, be careful. Watch out for more geth, and this ruin doesn't look terribly stable, so watch for falling debris.”

“Yessir,” Allison replies, and Erica nods her agreement.

The geth inside the ruin cause less trouble and are fewer in number, so Scott and his team get through with relative ease until the find Lydia, trapped behind a force field. “Hello? Is there someone other than geth out there?” she asks unhappily. “I need help!”

“Lydia Martin, right?” Scott questions, looking over the barrier. “Are you okay?”

“Let's skip pleasantries for later,” she replies, pursing her lips. “This is Prothean security device. I can't move, so you need to get me out of it.”

“A little difficult with this barrier in the way,” Erica pipes up, looking over the technology. “This is really old, but weirdly advanced...”

“It's called a Prothean barrier current, sweetheart, and yes, it's rather advanced technology for a species that's been dead for 50,000 years,” Lydia tells her then turns her head back to Scott. “It kept me safe from the geth, but something must be faulty and triggered this too. Get me out of here. ...please.”

“All right, what can we do?” Scott asks as Allison scouts out the area.

“You'll need to find a way in here; it can only be turned off from the inside,” Lydia states. “And you might wanna hurry. There's a krogan mercenary with the geth.”

Scott frowns at the mention of a krogan with the geth. “Hey, there's a mining laser we can use over here,” Allison calls out. “We just need the code.”

Erica jogs over, looking over the mining laser. “Easy enough,” she replies, hacking it with her omni-tool to get it activated. “Cover me. I think there are geth coming.”

Scott and Allison start shooting to take out the approaching geth. One has a sniper rifle aimed for Allison, and Scott use a strong biotic throw to toss him and his rifle several feet away. She gives him a smile as a thank you before quickly and efficiently sniping the last geth standing.

Behind them, the mining laser whirs to life, sending dust and debris everywhere. Once the air clears, there's a clear if not rocky path underneath the bunker Lydia's trapped in. Scott heads down, motioning for the girls to follow him. There's an elevator on the other side that brings them up and right up to Lydia.

“I'm impressed,” Lydia tells them with a small smile over her shoulder. “I didn't think there was a way past the barrier.”

“Mining laser,” Erica says proudly while Allison glances between the commander and the asari.

“Commander, her mother works for Peter. I wouldn't let her go just yet,” Allison says, wary of Lydia for the time being.

Lydia scowls. “I don't know when my mother went off her rocker and decided to join that bastard, but I'm sure as hell not working with them,” she tells them vehemently.

“I believe her. The geth wouldn't be trying to kill her otherwise,” Scott decides, heading to press the switch to let her free.

Lydia drops to the ground suddenly with an indignant huff. “Thank you,” she replies, dusting herself off. “Now, let's get out of here. I'm not really fond of getting attacked by geth. I've had my fill today.”

The ruins shakes beneath their feet, and Lydia pales. “You must have set off a seismic event,” she says tersely, heading for the controls to the elevator to aid their escape. “We need to get out of here, now.”

Scott taps the his communicator in his ear. “Stiles! Lock on my signal, and the Normandy here, on the double!”

“ _Aye, aye, Commander_ ,” Stiles replies over the comm. “ _ETA eight minutes. You can ask a little nicer next time. Stiles, out_.”

“He's on his way,” Scott tells them, making a note to whap Stiles upside the head when they're alone again.

Once they make it to the top, the krogan and his crew of geth are waiting for them. Another fight ensues, they're victorious, and it's time to get the hell out of dodge. They're ducking falling debris as they all run outside, to hop aboard the hovering Normandy.

“ _Too close, Scottie_ ,” Stiles says over comm system once everyone is safely aboard, and the whole team is gathered in the meeting room. “ _Ten more seconds, and the Normandy's hull would be melted and our sensors fried. Just letting you know_.”

Scott coughs to cover up his chuckles as Lydia glares at the comm speaker. “We almost died, and he's making jokes?” she asks.

“It's his thing,” Scott replies with an easy shrug. “He saved our asses, so I let him have his jokes.”

Lydia makes a face then tilts her head in Isaac's direction. “You look like you want to ask me something.”

Isaac straightens up in his seat and meets her eyes. “Well, Peter's looking for something called the Nemeton. It's supposedly Prothean, and you're an expert, right? Then what is it?”

“The Nemeton...” she murmurs, frowning. “I've only heard it mentioned in regards to the extinction of the Protheans. That's what I've been studying; how does a whole race vanish like they did?”

“The Void,” Scott murmurs, and Lydia stares at him with narrowed eyes.

“What did you just say?” she asks.

“The Void,” he repeats. “They massacred all the Protheans. I saw it in a vision a Prothean beacon left in my head.”

Liara mouth drops a bit in shock. “You found and used a working Prothean beacon? That's extremely rare, commander,” she explains. “They're made for Prothean physiology, so you must be very strong willed that it didn't kill you. You just keep impressing me.”

Scott rubs the back of his neck. “That's our commander,” Isaac states with a chuckle. 

“Whatever you saw in your vision must have been very muddled, though,” Lydia muses as she stands up and approaches the commander. “Just flashes and screams, I presume.”

“Yeah,” Scott informs her with a wince. “Not pleasant.”

Lydia nods, humming in agreement. “If they did that to the Protheans, it would make sense that they've done this before, to many species, for many cycles before,” she tells them. “There's barely anything left of the Protheans' civilizations, but they spanned across the galaxy, and there are subtle clues of what's not there that tells me they built themselves on those who came before them.”

“So this Void has been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years?” Allison asks with a frown.

“It seems so. A civilization climbs to great heights, then is violently and thoroughly decimated,” Lydia says. “Then it's like the whole galaxy has been cleansed of any clues these civilizations even existed. That's what I've found in my studies over the past fifty years.”

Isaac blinks. “Fifty? How old are you?”

“A lady never reveals her age,” Lydia tells him with a hmph. “But not much over a hundred. I'm barely a child to my people.”

“I want to look that good when I'm your age, Lydia,” Erica jokes, tapping her helmet. “Though, that hardly matters to my people.”

“Most of you are rather short-lived species,” Lydia replies before eying Boyd. “All but the krogan over there.”

“Boyd,” he replies with a raised brow.

Lydia smiles sweetly. “Boyd then,” she says then looks around. “So, let me make sure I have all your names. Erica nar Reyes, the quarian. Derek Hale, the turian. The humans, Allison Argent, Isaac Lahey, and Scott McCall. Oh, and your pilot, Stiles Stilinski. Have I caught on to the most important names on the ship?”

“More or less,” Scott concedes as Lydia lists to the side, and he catches her by the shoulder. “You should probably see our doctor. How long were you trapped down in that ruin?”

“More than I would have liked,” Lydia admits as she stands up straight. “A check up won't hurt. Lead the way, commander.”

Scott nods, staying by Lydia as she heads for the meeting room's exit. “Dismissed, crew.”


	5. Interlude

“So, why didn't you ever become a Spectre? It seems to run in the family, right?” Scott asks as he leans against the Mako that Derek's calibrating.

Derek scowls for a moment before putting his tools down to look at Scott. “I decided I wasn't cut out for it,” he states, snapping his tool box shut. “Why do you ask?”

Scott puts up his hands up as a sign that he comes in peace. “Just wondering. Is it a crime to want to know more about my crew?”

“No,” Derek replies, watching Scott warily and relaxing after deciding the commander's questions are harmless. “It's not something turians do.”

“Yeah, the turian military seems pretty hardcore,” Scott says with a nod. “But I think it's good to know your crew, even on a personal level.”

Derek makes an amused sound. “From what I hear, that's not common with the human military either. You're pretty unique, commander.”

Scott grins then shrugs. “Call me Scott when we're not in field,” he offers. “So, were you in the turian military long?”

“Long enough,” Derek answers as he leans against the Mako, a few feet away from Scott. “Most turians end up in our military, one way or another.”

“Military's not for everyone, though,” Scott says with a concerned look. 

Derek shrugs. “It's not,” he agrees, “and it's not a conscription thing. Everyone ends up trying it out, for one reason or another. It's just a turian thing.”

“Never knew that before,” Scott tells him. “It's nice to learn more about you, even if it's just about your people.”

“We're about keeping our people safe, our families...” Derek explains then his mandibles twitch, and his eyes grow sad. “That's why I have to be there when you take out my uncle. He betrayed my family and our people.”

“We'll get him,” Scott promises, putting a careful, comforting hand on Derek's shoulder and receiving teeth bared in a smile in return.

* * *

Doctor McCall calls Scott over the comm system to tell him that Lydia's examination went well, and that the asari has set herself up in the med bay's backroom. “Heard you have a clean bill of health,” Scott says as he enter the room.

Lydia huffs, pushing away from the table she sat at before standing in from of him. “Your mom is an impressive doctor. She knew her way around asari physiology very well for a human doctor,” she tells Scott then tilts he head in curiosity. “So, I don't think that's the only reason you came in here. Want to interrogate me about my mother now?”

Scott shakes his head. “I'm not going to question you like a prisoner. Tell me what you think would help us stop her. Whatever you want to tell me.”

“You're surprisingly soft for an Alliance commander,” Lydia replies teasingly. “Though, I shouldn't be surprised I looked you up on the extranet. You have quite the service record, like Elysium. You save so many people, even your own soldiers. You're amazing, really.”

Scott clears his throat, cheeks flushed. “I do what anyone else would do in my place.”

Lydia scoffs. “Not everyone. You go above and beyond,” she states. “It's an attractive feature, commander.”

“Scott,” he replies, licking his lips unconsciously. “No need to be so formal, Lydia.”

“Scott,” Lydia repeats with a smile. “All right. I'll tell you a few things you'll need to know about my mother, but be warned, she would never have joined Peter like this in her right mind. Something's off, and we should find out how that's being achieved before Noveria, if we can.”

* * *

After his talk with Lydia, Scott heads out of the med bay with a quick detour to press a kiss to the top of his mom's head. She rolls her eyes fondly as he leaves, telling him to be careful on his next mission as the door slide shuts behind him. Scott sees Isaac fixing the terminal next to the captain's quarters.

“Hey, Isaac,” he greets, bending to the side to see what exactly his lieutenant is working on. “Should I call in requisitions for a new panel or something?”

Isaac startles for a moment, banging his head on the underside of the terminal. “Oh, hey commander,” he greets with a wince, rubbing his hand carefully over the back of his head.

“Scott when we're not on a mission, Isaac. I told you already,” he says, approaching Isaac carefully. “I didn't mean to startle you. Should I grab so medigel from the med bay?”

“Nah, it's just a bump. Nothing to worry about,” Isaac assures. “So what brings you over to my corner of the ship?”

Scott chuckles. “If you only claimed this little corner, I should be worried. You have a sleeping pod too, you know.”

“I know, but I just like messing with this terminal,” Isaac tells him, pointing at the mess of strange wires and such under the terminal's screen. “I'm good at fixing things...now.”

“Now?” Scott asks, unable to help himself at such an opening.

Isaac shrugs. “It's a long, whiny, sob story that you don't have to bore yourself with.”

“I don't mind knowing about my crew, Isaac,” Scott corrects gently. “It's your story to tell; I'm willing to listen.”

Isaac's face soften at the words before he shrugs again. “My dad was...well, a jerk would be a nice word,” he begins. “When my brother signed up for the Alliance, he was beyond pissed, but my brother wasn't around to take his rage out on, so he'd take it out on me.

“Mostly, I'd just fix things around the house to keep his rage at bay. You know, be useful? It worked for the most part. Then my biotics started to manifest. For the most part, I was pretty weak, so nothing really I could do. Eventually, my dad found out that he'd get some credits for shipping me off to Jump Zero to really use my biotics for 'greater good'. At least I got out of there, right?”

Scott frowns. “Isaac...” he murmurs.

“I don't need your pity, Scott. I mean, Jump Zero was no picnic, but my biotics are strong now, and my dad couldn't really make me come home after that. So, I joined the Alliance military, like my brother.”

“Major Camden Lahey?” Scott questions, his stomach sinking.

Isaac nods. “Yeah. He was killed on Akuze by that thresher maw ambush. His company never stood a chance.”

Scott puts a hand on Isaac's shoulder, giving him a squeeze and a sympathetic look. “From the reports, he sounded like a brave man.”

“He was,” Isaac agrees, and they stand there for a moment, silent before he clears his throat. “Wanna help me finish patching up the panel?”

“Sure,” Scott replies and kneels down to pass Isaac whatever tools he needs.

* * *

Heading back down the elevator after grabbing a protein bar or two from the mess, Scott heads for Allison, who is still cleaning guns. “You know, you can take a break to eat, Allison,” he says dropping the protein bar on her work station with an innocent plop.

Allison puts down the sniper rifle she'd been disassembling to turn to the commander, protein bar in hand. “Thanks, commander,” she says sheepishly. “I guess I didn't notice how late it's gotten.”

“You don't have to prove yourself here,” Scott tells her. “We already know you pull your weight. And it's Scott when we're not out there.”

“Scott then. Thank you,” Allison says before ripping into the packaging and taking a good bite of the of the bar and swallowing it down after a few cursory chews. “Makes me miss my mom's cooking.”

Scott grins. “Well, sometimes I can talk my mom into making a meal when she's not busy in the med bay. I'll even share some enchiladas next time she's in a good mood,” he tells her. “Though, I'd make them myself if she shared her recipe.

Allison smiles. “Sounds good,” she agrees then clears her throat. “You cook, Scott?”

“When I have the time. I mean, not very well, but I can feed myself when I'm on shore leave,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “You?”

“It wasn't a priority in my family,” Allison admits. “I was never really good at anything other than being a soldier. It runs in my family. I'm sure you know about that...”

Scott shakes his head. “No, I never checked your background. I figured if Captain Stilinski approved of you being on the Normandy, so do I,” he says honestly.

Allison huffs a startled laugh. “That's new,” she tells him. “My grandfather was Gerard Argent, and my aunt was Kate Argent.”

It took Scott a moment, but he places the names with a frown. “Gerard Argent, who was arrested and punished for his unethical treatment of turian war prisoners back during the First Contact War,” he says from memory of what he learned from history in basic training. “And...Kate Argent who became a bounty hunter to kill turians.”

“Yeah,” Allison murmurs, face drawn tightly.

“Wait, is this why someone as talented as your are with weapons is still just a Gunnery Chief?” he questions incredulously. “You're a perfect shot. Are they insane?”

“They think I might be,” she admits. “Even after my dad proved loyal and sane, they still think I could end up rogue like my grandfather and aunt.”

“I don't believe that for a second,” Scott replies earnestly. “When we take down Peter, I'm going to make sure you get the recognition you deserve.”

Allison smiles, a small one. “Scott, you're ridiculous, but it's a nice thought,” she says gratefully. “Thanks.”

Scott shrugs. “You're a good soldier, Allison. Don't let anyone in the Alliance make you think otherwise.”

“I won't,” she replies with a smirk.

* * *

“Boyd,” Scott says in lieu of a greeting.

“McCall,” Boyd greets back. “Something you wanted?”

“You can call me Scott. I'd call you by your first name, but-”

“No,” Boyd interrupts. “I kill people who call me by my first name.”

Scott shuts his mouth with a click, and Boyd chuckles. “I won't kill you...Scott. I've grown to like you since coming aboard this ship. You have a pretty nice ragtag crew. Interesting mix of half the species of the galaxy,” he tells Scott.

“People like following me?” Scott offers as a reason his crew is such a mishmash of races. “I got you to come along.”

Boyd chuckles. “You have more balls than most of the krogan I knew on Tuchanka,” he reveals. “And that's a lot, since we have twice the balls your species does.”

Scott snorts. “I've always heard that. It's true? Wow, this is not where I thought this conversation would be heading.”

“The human men don't end up talking about their balls? I think your pilot has already proven that untrue,” Boyd says with a cringe. “He's under the impression that we're friends. I haven't broken his spine since we would need a new pilot.”

Scott scrunches up his face and tries not to laugh. “That's Stiles. He thinks he's more charismatic than he actually is sometimes. He grows on you?”

“I hope not,” Boyd answers, stretching his arms. “I prefer the quarian's company, really.”

Scott blinks. “Erica? Huh, I didn't know you guys talked.”

“She hardly leaves the engine room, but when she does, she comes to her locker to eat,” Boyd explains. “Erica struck up a conversation, and she's much more...charismatic than Stilinski.”

“I should talk to her more,” Scott says, glancing at the door for the engine room. “She should probably come to the upper deck sometime.”

“No point,” Boyd tells him. “She can't eat the food, so unless there's a mission, I doubt she's coming up.”

Scott frowns. “I'm going to talk to her. Maybe I'll try to get the cook to have a section of the kitchen for dextro-amino based food for her...and Derek too,” he says, planning out loud. “Thanks for telling me about this, Boyd.”

Boyd shrugs. “If she'll get out of that engine room more often, then I'm for it.”

* * *

“Oh, hello, commander,” Erica greets, turning away from her work. “What brings you down here?”

“Scott, please,” he corrects, looking over her shoulder. “Wow, I have no idea what you're doing.”

Erica giggles. “Just minor adjustments,” she promises. “You have a fantastic engineering crew, and this ship is just a wonder!”

“Thanks, though, have you seen much else of the ship, other than the engine room?” he asks her.

“Well,” she begins sheepishly. “Not really.”

“If there's anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable, just tell me, okay?”

Erica nods. “Yes, of course...” she says, glancing back her work. “Maybe I could take a little break. I didn't really get a good look at the main deck. Would your pilot mind me poking around the cockpit?”

Scott bites back a laugh. “Probably not,” he lies, but if Stiles does mind, Scott will talk him into not minding. “Do you need to finish that work now, or...?”

“It's fine. I'm at a good stopping point,” Erica tells him as she heads for the door. “Let's go. I want to really meet the pilot. He seems to get on Boyd's nerves like no other, and I want find out how he did it.”

“Stiles' natural charm?” Scott offers as an answer, unable to keep in his laughter as he follows her out and up to the main deck.

* * *

Stiles makes a displeased sound when Erica and Scott enter the cockpit. “Dude, you're just gonna let her touch everything,” he complains, and Scott elbows him in the side.

“My ship, my rules,” he reminds his best friend teasingly as Erica marvels at the secondary piloting controls and weapons system.

“Wow, I knew the Normandy was a marvel, but...” she trails off, running her gloved fingertips over the control panels before turning abruptly to Stiles. “You must be such an amazing pilot if you can handle this ship.”

Stiles flushes, rubbing the back of his neck with a grin. “Well, yeah,” he agrees as Scott rolls his eyes and plops himself down in right side secondary pilot chair. “I knew quarians knew a lot about ships, but I hear you've been making adjustments in the engine room. Been even making my job easier.”

“Well, I grew up on ships, on the Flotilla,” Erica replies, sitting down herself. “We're always repairing and adding to our ships, though none of them were ever as advanced as this one.”

“The Normandy's one of a kind,” Scott speaks up, glad that the two were getting along so quickly. “Speaking of the Normandy, we need to pick our next destination. Feros or Noveria?”

Stiles snorts. “More like geth and colonists or geth and a crazy asari matriarch,” he says then frowns. “Don't tell Lydia I said that about her mother. I think she already hates me.”

Scott facepalms. “I told you not to ask if she ever had a stripper phase,” he says as Erica tries not to laugh.

“You asked Lydia if she...? Wow, you have a poor self-preservation instinct, Stiles,” Erica tells him then sobers. “You mentioned colonist and geth? I think the matriarch can wait, but your colonists won't last long against an onslaught of geth.”

Scott nods, the mood now somber as Stiles turns back to piloting. “Feros it is then,” he murmurs.


	6. Feros & Noveria

“Next stop, Feros,” Scott announces to his crew, as he gestures for Derek and Isaac to suit up. “The colony needs out help _now_ , so going after Matriarch Martin will have to wait.”

Lydia watches as the men suit up. “Well, it'll give me time to figure out what I'm going to say to her when we see her,” she says, tone light. “When we do go to Noveria, I'm coming with you, commander.”

Scott nods as he secures his last piece of armor. “Of course,” he agrees. “We'll talk when we come back from this mission.”

Pleased by Scott's answer, Lydia leaves the room. “Ready, Hale? Lahey?” Scott questions, securing his pistol.

“Ready when you are, commander,” Isaac replies.

“Lead the way,” Derek says, and they head out into the colony.

The situation ends up more dire than any of them thought. They geth greet them just outside of where they docked, and even though there are colonists alive, without support, they won't be for much longer. Scott and crew secure the heart of the colony of Zhu's Hope and move out to take out the geth stronghold ahead.

“Why are they attacking this colony? Did they find another beacon?” Isaac wonders.

Scott frowns. “Let's hope not.”

They take down slews of geth to get to the stronghold, which used to be the headquarters of the company that funds the Zhu's Hope colony on Feros, ExoGeni. Soon Scott and his teammates find out the company has been experimenting on the colonists with a creature that under the headquarters that is able to mind control organic beings.

“That's sick,” Derek says with a sneer as they find the Thorian, the creature mind controlling the colonists of Feros. “And my uncle wants this kind of power. More reason to destroy it.”

“Take it out however you can,” Scott orders.

After they take out the massive creature and the strange clones it's able to produce, an asari drops from one of the pods, a real one. “Thank you for freeing me. My name is Braeden,” she says as she looks over the commander. “You've used a Prothean beacon.”

Isaac and Derek step forward, blocking her path to Scott. “How would you know that?” Isaac asks.

“I've been mind controlled by both this Thorian creature, and those who control Martiarch Martin. I was an acolyte of hers before she joined Peter's cause.”

Scott puts a hand on both Isaac's and Derek's shoulders, nudging them to let him pass. “You're saying something has the powers this creature we just defeated did?” he asks, afraid of the answer.

Braeden nods. “Peter's ship is sentient. It controls both the matriarch and Peter,” she explains. “Its control is hard to break for long, but Peter knew this. He wanted the Thorian to counteract the effects.”

Derek scowls. “To save his own ass,” he mutters as Scott approaches Braeden.

“You mentioned the beacon. What do you know about it?” Scott asks her.

“That you need a cipher to decipher the message,” Braeden states. “I can give it to you. You did save my life.”

When she reaches for Scott, Derek grabs her wrist with a snarl. “And what do you think you're doing?”

Braeden rolls her eyes. “I'm going to plant the cipher in his mind. You know asari have this capability.”

“I don't think you should trust her messing around your mind, commander,” Derek tells him, not letting go of the asari's wrist.

Scott looks between them both, taking a deep breath. “Let her go, Derek. I can't figure out what the beacon was telling me on my own.”

Reluctantly, Derek lets her go, but he doesn't take her eyes off her. “If you hurt him, you're dead,” he warns.

Braeden huffs, glancing between Derek and Isaac, who is glowing with his biotics at the ready. “I can see that,” she says before placing her fingertips to Scott's temples.

Her eyes go black, and Scott sees the flashes from the beacon in more clarity. She takes her hands away soon after the sequence of gore and death ends. Scott takes a deep breath, opening his eyes to look at Braeden.

“Thank you. I think that helped...” he says quietly, swaying a bit.

Derek and Isaac are quick to flank both his sides. “Perhaps another asari can make it more clear,” Braeden says, rubbing her head. “I don't know much about what we just saw.”

* * *

When Scott and his ground team finally return to the Normandy, they're wrung out from the mission. Scott mentions that they should head for Noveria soon, but he needs to talk to Lydia first. Stiles eyes him suspiciously, making a comment that Scott should probably sleep first. Derek and Isaac agree in tandem; Scott just tells them to get some rest.

“Scott, you wanted to see me?” Lydia questions, leaning in the doorway of his quarters.

He motions for her to come in, the door automatically sliding closed behind her. “I think we can decipher what the beacon told me, but I'll need your help.”

“Of course,” she says as she sits next to him on the bed. “I have permission to...”

“Yes, go ahead,” Scott replies, sliding his eyes shut.

Lydia purse her lips. “You should probably be well rested for this,” she warns.

“I don't want to waste more time. Who knows what your mom is doing for Peter on Noveria,” Scott tells her, and she flinches.

“Fine, but I did warn you,” Lydia replies as she rests her fingertips to Scott's temples, and her eyes go black.

The scenes and images becomes clear, and when Scott makes sense of all of them, he passes out, hearing Lydia's voice shout his name as he does. When he wakes up, his mother is hovering over him with a displeased look. Scott offers her a smile, and she flicks his forehead.

“You are an idiot. Sometimes I wonder if your father dropped you when I wasn't looking,” Melissa says as she presses cold pack against Scott's head. “You could have ended up with some real brain damage, if Lydia didn't know how to stabilize you like she did when you blacked out.”

Scott winces. “I'm sorry, but we needed to-”

“No,” Melissa interrupts sternly. “You need to rest. Lydia will tell the rest of the crew what she saw, and _maybe_ I'll let you off the ship when we reach Noveria.”

“Yes, mom,” Scott mutters, closing his eyes. “I am sorry I worried you.”

“You should be. Most of your crew has been hovering outside of your room,” she tells him with a small smile. “You picked up a good group, kiddo.”

“Yeah, I did,” he agrees. “Don't let them stay out there all night. We have a mission...tomorrow.”

Melissa chuckles, ruffling Scott's hair then placing a kiss on his forehead. “The day after tomorrow,” she corrects, “as long as you stay in bed until then. I'll have your crew bring your meals.”

Scott snorts. “I don't think-”

“They'll fight over it,” she interrupts, sounding very sure of herself. “Now, go to sleep, sweetheart.”

* * *

Two days later, Scott's back to fighting form, and when they reach Noveria, he asks Lydia and Allison to join him for this mission. The ladies suit up and follow him out, both of them watching his every move in case he hasn't fully recovered. Scott lets them, but he's sure he's fine now as the approach the Noveria compound.

They don't get a very warm greeting on the frozen wasteland of a planet, but Scott tells the guards of his Spectre status and proves it. After that, the welcome is a bit warmer. Scott tells Allison and Lydia to spread out, find out where the matriarch might be. Soon, they find out Matriarch Martin has gone up to a lab out on a mountain out in the blizzard.

Procuring a Mako takes a bit more effort than any of them foresaw, but it helped that unseating a corrupt bureaucrat got them what they needed. Once they get close to the lab, geth start to appear. Scott runs them over for the most part, and Allison takes out the others with the canons.

Once inside the lab, Scott leads his team to find the matriarch. Instead, the find strange bug-like creatures that look like the long dead rachni that had almost decimated the galaxy hundreds of years ago.

“I think this lab is producing rachni,” Lydia speaks up after she sends the last rachni flying with her biotics. “This must be why my mother's here. They'd have another army to take over the galaxy with.”

Allison makes a sour face. “Geth _and_ rachni? That's not a war I'd wanna fight. We need to shut this lab down.”

Scott agrees, and soon, they find Matriarch Martin in a chamber that holds a large cage...containing what looks like the queen of the rachni. “Oh, you brought my daughter. How kind of you, Commander McCall.”

Lydia glares at her mother. “I'm not your daughter if you continue this madness.”

For a moment, the matriarch's eyes clear. “Lydia... Please, I cannot keep myself in control much longer. Finish me off before they can take over again.”

Scott and Allison both move for their guns, but Lydia stops them both. “No, this is my mother. It's my responsibility,” she states evenly as she aims her pistol and fires.

Matriarch Martin crumples to the ground, and when Lydia's give out, Allison catches her with ease. “Go figure out what's going on with the rachni queen. I'll take care of Lydia,” Allison tells him, and Scott nods as he approaches the glass cage.

Suddenly, the matriarch floats to her feet. Scott quickly pulls out his gun, aiming for her head, but he falters when he sees her listing from side to side. He glances to the cage and sees the rachni queen glowing ever so slightly, and her eyes fixed on him.

“ _Let me go, please_ ,” the matriarch says, but her words are strange, as if said by someone else. “ _Yes, I am the queen of the rachni. Free me._ ”

Lydia chokes on a sob when she sees her mother's reanimated corpse, and Allison hurriedly hides the asari's face on her chest. “Why should I?” Scott asks.

“ _I am not at fault_ ,” she replies, pressing feelers against the glass. “ _They took my children, turned them...into sickly creatures. I do not wish to cause harm_.”

“There was a whole war about a thousand years ago that says otherwise,” Scott states carefully.

The queen screeches from her cage. “ _We were...tainted. We did not want war. Peace. We want peace_.”

“You're not really thinking about this, commander,” Allison speaks up incredulously.

Scott turns to her, clearly conflicted. “If I kill her, I'm committing genocide,” he says quietly.

Allison's face softens, and she doesn't say another word. Scott turns back to the rachni queen and nods. “I'll let you go, but if you start anything, I will take you out,” he warns as he hits the buttons for the release control.

“ _I will not. Peace, I promise you_ ,” she murmurs through the dead matriarch's lips before Matriarch Martin drops back to the ground, lifeless again.


	7. What's To Come...

The Council hardly likes the report Scott gives them when they call over holo-vid. “Destruction of a Prothean ruin,” Kali states unhappily.

“Destroying this...Thorian specimen and mind control?” Deucalion questions.

“And you let loose a rachni queen,” Ennis growls. “Are you out of your mind, Commander?”

Scott bites back his first few responses. “I did what I felt needed to be done. Peter doesn't have Lydia Martin, a creature with mind control powers, an army of rachni, or Matriarch Martin now.”

“But he does have a lab on Virmire,” Deucalion speaks up, receiving glares from both Kali and Ennis that he ignores. “We have lost contact with a salarian special task force there. Peter is likely there, and your crew should be ready to take him on.”

Straightening his posture, Scott nods. “Yes, my crew and I are ready for him. We'll head for Virmire immediately.”

Deucalion smiles. “Good. I think we're done here, Ennis? Kali? Anything to add?”

“No,” both Kali and Ennis say in unison.

“Well then. Good luck, commander,” Deucalion says smoothly before cutting off the holo-vids completely.

Scott slumps a bit before calling his crew in for a debriefing about their next mission.

* * *

“I know we haven't been a crew for more than a few short weeks,” Scott begins once his squadmates are all seated in the meeting room, “but I think we've come together as a team quicker than any other team I've ever been on.”

Isaac nods from his right. “It's hard to believe it's only been a few weeks.”

“I feel like I've been part of this crew forever,” Erica admits. 

“You're not bad,” Derek says from Scott's left and shrugs when Scott laughs. “Some are worse then others.”

Scott grins. “Derek likes us,” he says in a stage to Isaac who snorts.

Boyd chuckles. “I've been on worse ships. This one isn't about to crash, and none of you have tried to kill me,” he tells them.

“That's hardly a good comparison,” Allison jokes, leaning back in her chair. “I don't think I've ever been so welcomed on an Alliance...with my family's background. It's nice that no one here thinks I'm going to snap.”

Lydia smiles. “Never, dear. Unless Derek borrows your favorite assault rifle without asking again.”

Derek clears his throat. “That was once, and Scott said I could use it.”

Allison's eyes hone in on the commander. “Hey, I'm a biotic sentinel. I was never trained with anything other than a pistol. How was I supposed to know?”

“Next time, I'm locking _my_ guns in my locker,” Allison states then laughs. “Only people I trust have the combination.”

“So just Lydia,” Erica teases, ducking her head when Allison pretends to glare at her.

“Hey, I was making a rousing speech over here,” Scott interrupts, pretending to be put out.

Isaac pats his commander's back. “Go ahead, Scott. We're listening.”

“Thank you, Isaac. You're the new favorite,” Scott jokes then grins. “Okay, I lost my train of thought. We're going to find Peter and stop him on Virmire. That's it. I think it's pizza night in the mess. The cook even managed a dextro-amino version for Derek and Erica.”

The whole room falls silent for a moment before they break out into laughter as they all head to the mess hall together.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope [awryendings](www.awryendings.tumblr.com) liked this monster of a fic. @_@ It's kinda crap, and I'm so sorry. >_


End file.
